Predicting Breakout Players for the 49ers 2022 Season: Samuel Womack III

Football season is upon us Sacramento as the regular season gets underway in less than a week, Sept. 8th between the Buffalo Bills and defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

After that the remaining 30 teams begin their season on Sunday and Monday, with the San Francisco 49ers being a part of the former. The Red & Gold open their 2022 campaign on the road against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11th at Soldier Field.

Coming off last season’s NFC championship appearance, the 49ers are looking to make another deep run in the playoffs, still looking for the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl trophy. They’ll have to do it behind the play of second-year phenom Trey Lance, stepping in to his first starting role in the NFL.  He won’t be alone however, as head coach Kyle Shanahan and the front office have blessed the 22-year-old QB with a plethora or offensive and defensive weapons to lean on in 2o22.

From George Kittle to Fred Warner, the 49ers are stacked across the board with talent. Nevertheless, there is always a few players that come out of the blue and have massive production for their respective teams each year. Last year it was running back Elijah Mitchell, amassing 1,100 yards from scrimmage and six TDs in only eleven games due to injury.

But who will be the breakout player on defense for the Bay Area squad this season?

The answer: Rookie cornerback Samuel Womack III.

The Case For Womack

When entering training camp a month ago, nobody would have expected the ascension of rookie Samuel Womack III to happen so quickly.

Yet here we are.

The fifth-round draft pick from Toledo has burst onto the scene for the red & gold, quickly climbing the depth chart thanks to his instincts and ball-hawking abilities.

The hype started in the first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. A slot corner by trade, the rookie was matched up several cheesehead pass-catchers and dominated the entire contest, ending up with two interceptions off backup QB Jordan Love.

The first on an out route. Matched up with fellow rookie, WR Romeo Doubs, Womack initially gave up the catch but fought with his hands and physicality to pry the ball loose, stripping it simultaneously. The call on the field was ruled an incompletion at first but replay revealed that the rookie corner had indeed secured the ball in-bounds for the INT.

More good things to come for Samuel Womack! This dude is gonna be soo good for our defense. pic.twitter.com/df8eWLjEQm

— 49ers Throwback ❤💛 (@49ers_Throwback) August 29, 2022

The second came after halftime, covering WR Amari Rogers in the slot while keeping his eyes locked on Love the whole time. His fluidity in positioning allows him to read the game well, watching the quarterback’s eyes before jumping the pass for a big return.

That’s TWO INT’S for rookie DB Samuel Womack 🤲 pic.twitter.com/Jum3Z7SjuY

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) August 13, 2022

Womack’s instant impact caught the attention of a few key individuals, including one Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, giving his praise via social media.

Tyreek Hill 🤝 Samuel Womack pic.twitter.com/tQrCyHutQ9

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 13, 2022

Yes it’s preseason play but a fairly unknown prospect getting recognition by one of the league’s premier receivers: Not a bad way to start an NFL career.

“That’s a route that I cover probably every day in practice,” Womack said regarding his second pick of the night.  “That play was just like doing another practice play. I’ve just been getting better at that play and then it was gametime and I took advantage of it.”

In fact, the rookie has been doing so good in practice that Shanahan and front office decided they had seen enough after one game, promoting him to the starting nickel back spot on the team. The move came with a caveat as the 49ers released veteran corner Darqueze Dennard during the first cut-down day of the preseason.

“We didn’t think he was going to earn that spot,” Shanahan said bluntly during the team’s trip to Minnesota. “We got to see enough where we felt the younger guys were going to have a chance, so we want to give them some reps.”

When asked if this was in direct correlation to Womack’s performance, the head coach’s words spoke volumes for his confidence in the 5’9″ cornerback.

Samuel Womack covers like a guy who was second in the country in PBUs last year. NFL undervalued him because he's only 5-9. But that allows for perfect agility in the slot and the slot is just as important as the outside.

In short the 49ers found a positional value bargain

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 26, 2022

“I think everyone saw him during the game and he did a real good job. He’s done a decent job in practice too. We have some safeties who we can mix there also. So there’s still some competition, but yeah, we’ve been happy with how he’s been so far,” Shanahan stated.

Womack put his ball-hawking skills on display once again in the preseason finale in Houston.

Due to injuries in the secondary, the rookie was asked to cover the outside and more physical receivers the Texans possess. Struggling a little at first, Womack was flagged for pass interference against wideout Nico Collins in the first quarter, unable to get his head around in time to play the football. The penalty put Houston first and goal, scoring on the next play with a Dameon Pierce run into the end-zone.

The rookie adjusted quickly and shook off the mistake, coming up with a big pass breakup that lead to an interception for the 49ers.

Back in the slot, Womack was up against WR Chris Moore on as wheel/go route to the right side of the end-zone. The cornerback initially gets beaten off the line but recovers and gets his arm in-between the receiver and the ball, allowing him to fight Moore for possession that ultimately falls to safety Tarvarius Moore for the easy INT.

Samuel Womack (again) with the pass breakup and Tarvarius Moore with the interception in their own endzone. What a play for the #49ers defense. DeMeco Ryans is fired up. pic.twitter.com/tg6l1I63j1

— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) August 26, 2022

Womack didn’t play much after that, with Shanahan resting the majority of his starters for Week 1 in Chicago.

Nevertheless, the rookie did enough to impress the boss further, raving about his ability to battle for the ball on the PBU.

Kyle Shanahan evaluates Samuel Womack III and Deommodore Lenoir's preseason performances ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f8FvnXhdG0

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 26, 2022

“I thought that was a good play,” Shanahan said post-game. He didn’t quit on the slot-go [route] I think it was. Kept battling to get there, tipping it and causing a pick for [Tarvarius] Moore so that was a hell of a play.”

Now with his first full regular season ahead, the former Toledo rocket will look to prove, once again, why he was a steal in the fifth-round of the draft.

2021 Toledo Stats: 33 total tackles, two INTs, 15 passes defended, one fumble recovered

2022 NFL Season Projection: 30 total tackles, three INTs, 20 passes defended

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